MONTREAL — A recent study by Havas Canada analyzes current trends in the Canadian food industry.
Trends examined in the study, called Readers Digest: The Future of Food, include:
Local is the new organic: Consumers are increasingly encouraged to place priority on the quality and source of their foods. The study focuses on the current question of whether to prioritize buying local or buying organic; 54 per cent of Canadians say they are willing to pay more for food that is produced locally. The popularity of locally sourced foods is in part due to consumers’ distrust of large supermarket chains — only 32 per cent of Canadians say they trust big-name supermarkets. The study reveals, however, that eating local foods is not always the healthier choice.
Me, my body and the planet: The article’s findings reaffirm what consumers eat has become an expression of their lifestyles and their relationship to the environment. More than 62 per cent of Canadians think their food supply-chain is becoming too contaminated and dangerous for their health.
The rise of #Foodporn: The proliferation of food shows and Instagram accounts dedicated to food photography is creating a new breed of consumers who consider themselves foodies. This is especially the case with the millennial segment — 46 per cent of Canadian millennials say social media is their main source of culinary inspiration. The study reveals, however, that the more time consumers spend looking at photos of professional dishes, the less they trust their own culinary abilities, which results in them cooking less — 61 per cent of millennials admitted their culinary knowledge far surpassed their cooking abilities.
The full study is available here.
